The VIP Sleeper Bus All-Inclusive Experience.

Do you enjoy long, sleepless, uncomfortable nights? do you ever feel that transportation makes too much sense? Would you like to spend a night in a child-sized bed with a complete stranger in the most nonsexual way possible? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then take the sleeper bus, and experience social and physical discomfort like never before! First, it may seem like you're in for a good night or sleep; the lights dim, you have a nice little mattress, and you start to doze lightly before the bus even leaves. But don't worry, a stranger who is obviously larger than you will be hoisting himself onto your bed shortly, taking up the majority of the already tiny mattress. Naturally, he'll snore, and roll over a lot, and accidentally-maybe-not-accidentally brush your rear end with his hand. By the way, he doesn't speak a lick of English. Folks, if you can imagine it, things can get even better on the night bus. The road is a mess of potholes, twists, and hairpin turns, sending your stomach swirling and your body slamming into the bed's metal guard rails or the stranger next to you. This is the VIP bus, but why on earth would there be a restroom on the VIP bus when you can use nature's toilet? The stops aren't planned. They have no order, but at whatever time the driver is feeling bored, he'll flick on the florescent lights inches above your head, turn on Gangnam Style at full volume, and holler something in Lao about taking a pee. At that time you will grab your shoe-baggie, cram towards the door with every other exhausted and peeved bus-rider, and hop out the door while trying to put on your shoes. Then, you and the others race into the ditch or open field at which you have been parked, and relieve yourself in the best place you can find in 10 seconds. After a very short minute, the bus driver honks the horn once, twice, and then three times, as everyone races back to the bus, crowding and shoving to pack through the rabbit-hole of a doorway once again. The minute everyone is through the door, the gas is punched, and you lurch away for a few more fun hours before the next stop. By this time, it's around midnight, you've been on the bus for about four hours. You've been hungry for all four of these hours. The bus pulls over to a dim restaurant in the middle of nowhere. You crowd and push out, get a piping hot bowl of noodle soup, and eat it in the company of thousands of giant bugs that are flying around and smashing into your face and neck. You eat quickly, because you hear the horn, and the bus is starting to pull away. Crowding, pushing, shoving, and away into the night. If you're lucky, as I was, the person next to you might be a hogger. They try, while pretending not to, to gain as much of the bed as possible. Don't take that, you deserve your equal sliver of the bed. When the bus lurches away from your side, that's your turn to make a move. Stick out your butt, stick out your knees, stick out your elbows. You are the human cactus. Stay like that for awhile, until they fall asleep or think you've fallen asleep. The bus lurches your way, time to defend your territory! Brace yourself against the guardrail, and don't give up and inch of ground. You won't sleep, but you won't wake up spooning with a stranger, either, and let's face it, you probably weren't going to be sleeping anyway. If you're tired of the average travel experience, and find it far too comfortable and restful, then I strongly recommend the sleeper bus to you. I can guarantee from personal experience that you will get the discomfort and awkward situations you're missing in your life.

Wasting Time and Hiding From The Heat.

Well folks, I only have a few more hours to kill before I can try to get a night bus to Luang Prahbang! Thankfully, it's raining now, but for the better part of this day, it was so hot it made me feel sick. I checked out of my guesthouse this morning, and so I have nowhere to crash during the heat of the day. I walked for awhile, and tried to go to a beautiful temple. They said the were "closed," and that I would have to come back later and buy a ticket. I'm really not fond of the temples in the big Asian cities. Sure, there are a few monks walking around, but the authenticity of the temple is robbed by the ticket and souvenir booths at every exit and entrance, trying to make a buck of every foreigner who walks by. For me, the lure of the temples isn't really the architecture. While incredibly beautiful, it's not what I go for. What makes a temple special for me is the people to worship and pray there. In a temple that's not packed with tourists, and doesn't have a gift shop, you can feel that. You can take off your shoes, and walk the same cool stone stairs that countless others have walked on their way to and from a meeting with their faith. I went into one temple today; it was 106 degrees outside, and I paid to go inside. I didn't like it. I wanted to see what it was like before any tourists like me started passing through and taking pictures. After another hot and exhausting stroll through the city, and one wearying trudge through the chaotic mall, I ended up and True Coffee, just as I have everyday in Vientiane. If you're looking for an authentic Laos experience, don't go to True Coffee. At any given time, there are about 20 foreigners and 2 Lao people. However, if you want to meet other travelers, check your email, or drink a slightly overpriced but extremely delicious and sugary coffee, True Coffee is the place for you. It has a definite appeal, as an oasis of hipster glamor and blessedly cold air. I like to go there and read, stare at other tourists, and listen to the many different languages and conversations that take place there. I'm not ashamed to admit that I spent a whole three hours by myself there today. It was just too hot to do anything else. After that kind of heat, the tingling of goose bumps and the very notion of being too cold seem like blissful and wondrous happenings. I've had a lot of caffeine today, and not a lot of food. The first, because I have nowhere to nap today, and I have to catch a night bus, and not a lot of food because, while I was staying on the farm in Thailand, I ate SO much. I can't even comprehend how I fit so many calories in my body in one month. Chips? Yes! Ice cream? Of course! Bread? I'll have half a loaf, please! So, I gained about five pounds, which, considering how much I ate, is pretty good. Anyway, it's finally raining. It feels as if the whole, sweltering city breathes a sigh of relieve when a storm comes to make the outdoors habitable again. Oh, I really want a nap. The more I think about it, the better it sounds. And a steak. A big steak, cooked medium rare. If anyone would like to purchase and cook a steak for me upon my return, the gesture will be greatly appreciated. Ok, well, I suppose I'll wander around a bit more. Only three more hours...and then nine more on a bus...Yay...

So, I'm In Laos Now.

When I left the states to travel alone, I was honestly a little nervous to be by myself, even though I said I wasn't. Now, I'm so glad I chose to go alone. It has opened me up to so many new experiences, and forced me to meet new people and ask more questions. It's forced me to be independent, even when I didn't want to be, and to face and conquer my anxiety. Nothing helps you define yourself better than a trip to a new place taken alone. I said goodbye to the good folks at Rak Tamachat on Thursday, and let me tell you, I will really miss that place. I have never looked worse or been more comfortable with myself than I was there. It seemed that I always had a sunburn, was always covered in bug bites, and no matter how many times I washed them, my feet were always dirty. But I was accepted there, and that made me feel good. On Thursday night, Lola and Jake drove me and my backpack to the bus stop, and waited with me for about a half an hour. For some reason, at that time I started to panic, and tried hard not to let it show. Suddenly a minibus drove up, and Jake was already walking over to it with my huge pack. He threw it in the door, I gave them both a hug, and the doors closed and away I went. It was a much quicker goodbye than I would have wanted, and on the minibus I felt sad. As I was leaving, Lola had handed me an envelope, which contained letters and drawings form her and Jake. I tore it open, read through them twice, and immediately felt better. The bus ride Hnong Kai went quickly, and I sat up front in the drivers compartment. He was very nice; he even pulled over to the side of the road so that I could run to the main bus compartment and use the bathroom. The border crossing was blissfully uneventful, and I found a guesthouse with a half hour of looking. I booked a bed in a dorm room of the Mixay Guesthouse, on the very top floor, up five flights of stairs. It's perfect. My roommates for now are a French man with tattoos, traveling for fun through Laos, and a super sociable man from New York City, who travels and promotes art for his work. They are both kind, helpful, and interesting people. The most important thing I've learned so far, is that enjoyable travel requires surrender and a good sense of humor. Just let go, and keep smiling. I never thought I would feel comfortable sharing a room with two people I've never met before, but the truth is I feel more comfortable than I would in a room by myself. I had been up all night, and all day as well, but I couldn't sleep because everyone else was still awake and moving about and turning lights on and off, so instead of being cranky, I just let it go, and went outside my room to where a few of the top floor guests were relaxing and talking. Geoffry, the guy from New York, was there, a guy name Peter, from Holland, and an elderly and extremely pleasant man from Japan, named Masaki. Masaki had a portable cooler with him, and was serving up fresh made cocktails from the generous contents of this cooler. "Masaki's Free Bar," he calls it. This man knows how to make friends. I had a lovely visit with these gentlemen until everyone quieted down in the guesthouse. Then, after being awake for more than 2 hours, I finally, FINALLY, went to sleep. So far, I love Laos. It's fun, interesting, cheap and eccentric. And, the food is incredible. In two days, I get on a bus to Luang Prahbang. This is a marvelous experience, and I wish it could go on much longer than the next month.

Thailand Is Still Awesome

So, yes, I've really been neglecting this blog. I've tried to post twice, but the internet was too slow the first time, and the second time the computer crashed. I'll just try to sum up some of the things I've been up to here in rural Thailand. First of all, it seems I can't go outside without breaking a sweat and getting a sunburn, which is bad because we spend almost all day outside here on the farm. Secondly, the mosquitoes think I'm the bees knees and I am covered in bites. However, I feel as if I'm finally living out the dream of adventure I've carried around all of my life. My feet are always dirty, my clothes are never clean, I never look nice here, and I find that really freeing. I have no one to impress or anyone's approval to try and earn. I can do what I want and go where I please and eat 3 mangoes everyday just because I feel like it. A few days ago Lola, Benjamin and I went into Sikhui to go to market, as we were running really low on food and were completely out of fruit. Since it was 100 degrees, I wore a dress, which seemed like a really good idea when I left. However, as I tried to climb off the bike without showing the entire marketplace my underwear, I burnt my leg on the tailpipe of the bike. It looks kind of awful, but it should be fine. I've been using Jake's special tried and true method of burn healing, where I chop an aloe vera leaf in half and tie it onto my leg for several hours. It actually works amazingly well. Today we dropped Benjamin at the bus stop and had to say goodbye to our dear curry-cooking friend, who is on his way to India right now. After that, Lola, Jake and I went on an adventure, and drove and drove in the sidecar through tiny towns and beautiful farmland. I got a sunburn, naturally, but I've just tied some more aloe to my leg and I put some on my face as well. On the 16th, I am heading to Laos for a quick one week stay there. I may stay in Vientiane, but the more I think about it the more I also want to see Luang Prabang. We'll see. I'll most likely be taking the night bus, and arriving to the border in the early morning, before the rush (or maybe before it even opens), which would be great. I want to find a cool yet cheap guesthouse to stay in, and then I plan on spending an entire day just sleeping. I just fall asleep all the time here. I think it's the weather. I tried to read for a while this afternoon, but I ended up sleeping for the last two hours. There was the most magnificent storm today. Luckily we had just arrived home and weren't trying to drive home through it. It was so loud! and the wind and lightning and thunder and water we so powerful. A few banana trees near the showers were knocked down, but otherwise everything is (miraculously) fine. I really meant to be posting more here, but this computer doesn't always like me. There is SO much more I could write, but I think I have to cut off here. Thanks for reading and praying for me!